Miren Castle ( sl, Mirenski grad, also known as ' 'castle' and ' 'Our Lady beneath the Karst'; it, Grado di Merna or ') is an elevation above the settlement of

Miren Miren (; it, Merna) is an urbanized settlement in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia right next to the border with Italy. The hill known as Miren Castle ( sl, Mirenski grad) rises above the settlement to th ...

near

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

, in southwest

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Its Slovene name reflects the fact that the hill was once occupied by a castle; it is currently dominated by a collection of ecclesiastical buildings.

Castle building

The origins of Miren Castle is an tale which is famous among the citizens of Miren. Long ago there lived a noble and glorious king known as Miren. He was a man of a kind heart who built the settlement of Miren to serve as homes for peasants who were struggling from poverty. Now he is regarded as an ancient hero.

Our Lady of Sorrows Church

Over the centuries, a series of churches have occupied the site. The first recorded was the Church of Our Lady, built in 1488, rebuilt in 1753, and destroyed on 30 May 1914. Between 1700 and 1756, Grad was inhabited by

hermits A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

. The summit of Grad is now dominated by a monastic church dedicated to

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

( sl, cerkev Žalostne Matere božje). It was built in 1886, and was completely destroyed and rebuilt during and after each World War. In 1958, its interior was decorated with frescoes by

Tone Kralj Tone Kralj (23 August 1900 – 9 September 1975) was a Slovene sculptor and painter also known for his wall paintings and illustrations. Kralj was born in Zagorica near Dobrepolje in Lower Carniola in 1900. He studied sculpture in Prague b ...

. The entrance gate bears the inscription ''Ite in domum Matris Vestræ'' 'Go into the house of your mother'. It is still a pilgrimage destination.

Other

The path to Miren Castle features Stations of the Cross designed by the architect

Ivan Vurnik Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

in 1931. By the last station there stands the architecturally unique Chapel of the Scala Sancta, ( sl, svete stopnice), the floor of which is made of 28 stepped platforms. It was blessed in 1757 by the

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gori ...

archbishop

Karl Michael von Attems Karl Michael von Attems (Gorizia, 1 July 1711 – Gorizia, 18 February 1774) was an Austrian Catholic archbishop and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire. Biography Belonging to the noble family of the Counts of Attems, Karl Michael was born in Goriz ...

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirenski Grad Hills in the Slovene Littoral Roman Catholic churches in the Slovene Littoral Vincentian monasteries in Slovenia Stations of the Cross Christian monasteries in the Slovene Littoral